The Republican aerial torpedo José Belmonte - Spanish War 1936.

[klem]

José Belmonte. "The Barcelona-born José Belmonte, a musical director who had taken part in the Civil War from the very first moments, fighting the rebel soldiers in the very streets of Barcelona and who, with almost no resources and with a lot of willpower, created a family of rockets that he even named Aerial Torpedo. The device consisted of a simple and easily transportable device that, placed at the appropriate angle and by means of a rudimentary aiming device, fired a rocket that exploded at the end of its propulsion force, reaching a ceiling between 2,000 and 4,000 metres. Among the different applications that the inventor pointed out, there was that of applying it against air attacks, as it had a series of virtues that made it the ideal anti-aircraft weapon to protect poorly defended localities against the different aggressions of Franco's air force, due to the ease of installation, low cost and good possibilities of manufacturing and supplying projectiles.Patent ES143932A1-A support apparatus for the firing of aerial torpedoes.(Tot Barcelona.Blog)

http://www.griegc.com/2018/02/15/el-torpedo-aereo/Información del torpedo aéreo extraída de José SANTOCILDES i Carlos CASTAÑÓN, «Órganos de Stalin… Made in Spain«. La Artillería cohete en el Ejército Español”, Cuadernos de Revista Española de Historia Militar, núm.2. Quirón ediciones, Valladolid; y David GESALÍ y David ÍÑIGUEZ, “El Torpedo Aeri: un coet per a la República”, Ebre 38, núm.1 (2003), pàg.37-46.

 

[fortrena]

For what it's worth, there is a Wikipedia page located at https://second.wiki/wiki/torpedo_aeri which appears to be a translated version of a Spanish language Wikipedia page located at https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo_aeri

Some info in Spanish (or Catalan?) can be found at https://raco.cat/index.php/Ebre/article/view/39192/39055

Incidentally, some Spanish language info on the ALAS rocket mentioned in the Wikipedia pages can be found at https://elgrancapitan.org/foro/viewtopic.php?t=7975&start=210

 

[klem]

For what it's worth, there is a Wikipedia page located at https://second.wiki/wiki/torpedo_aeri which appears a translated version of a Spanish language Wikipedia page located at https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo_aeri

Some info in Spanish (or Catalan?) can be found at https://raco.cat/index.php/Ebre/article/view/39192/39055

Incidentally, some Spanish language info on the ALAS rocket mentioned in the Wikipedia pages can be found at https://elgrancapitan.org/foro/viewtopic.php?t=7975&start=210

Thanks for these interesting links for the bibliography they contain.My intention was to inform about José Belmonté's innovation in these troubled times.I found it by chance on the net and I thought why not.Because today most people have a literary idea of the spanish civil war where "we were fighting for God and the devil" as Hemingway said, but in reality it was very Orwellian.Besides, Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell participated in the spanish Civil war everyone in their own style, but that's another story.

 

[Dilandu]

Whoa! Never heard about this interesting device!

 

[eltf177]

Neither have I!

I wonder just how effective it could have been...

 

[Sgt_Miller]

A very interesting weapon for sure! Has it been operational by the end of the war, or succeeded by any kind of better weapon? I wonder, did the Spanish even bother to continuing its development after the war? Though, their economy was too devastated to be able to develop advanced weapons.

 

[Roland55]

They have an interesting design, really unusual

 

[Dilandu]

A very interesting weapon for sure! Has it been operational by the end of the war, or succeeded by any kind of better weapon? I wonder, did the Spanish even bother to continuing its development after the war? Though, their economy was too devastated to be able to develop advanced weapons.

Seems to never move past prototypes, build by inventor himself. Upper ranks apparently have no interest in his project.

 

[klem]

Very interesting and more documented links about Belmonte and its aerial torpedo.- (https://www.sapiens.cat/epoca-histo...-coet-de-la-republica-catalana_12042_102.html) -(https://www.sapiens.cat/epoca-histo...coet-de-la-republica-catalana_200336_102.html)

 

[Scapaflow]

Very interesting and more documented links about Belmonte and its aerial torpedo.- (https://www.sapiens.cat/epoca-histo...-coet-de-la-republica-catalana_12042_102.html) -(https://www.sapiens.cat/epoca-histo...coet-de-la-republica-catalana_200336_102.html)

Interesting article indeed, finally some original source material.

 

[Rita DB]

I am the grandaughter of this best man Josep Belmonte Canyelles. At the family we are very proud of him who put all his efforts to defends a place where he lives and loved so much, Barcelona. He gave up his job to put all his money and dedication o protect his place from the Franco attacks in a very difficult time. In addition to this we are dissapointed why my granfather after this great invemtion that later my grandmother after a difficult period with 4 kids in her own deliver the papers to the EEUU embassy for the use afterwards probably for the rocket moon, without any recognition to him, this greatest man. Here I say to my grandfather, Josep: Perhaps the world dont see you but me your grandaughter see you and thank you this effort afterwards. I love you grandpa, T estimo, Avi, gracies per ser hi. En el teu record el mon algun dia et veura. Rita Domenech Belmonte